Protected Tree CheckerUK TPO lookup
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Free UK Tree Preservation Order (TPO) Checker

Enter a postcode or address to check whether Tree Preservation Orders, conservation areas or other planning protections may affect trees near a property.

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No account needed. Guidance based on available public data — always confirm with your Local Planning Authority before carrying out tree work.

Why it matters

Felling a protected tree is a criminal offence

Cut down, uproot or wilfully damage a tree with a Tree Preservation Order — or carry out work without consent — and you can be prosecuted, whoever owns the land. Courts weigh any money made from the work, so the fines climb fast.

Unlimited
Maximum fineno cap in any court since 2015 — courts also weigh any money made from the work
Per tree
Each tree countsevery protected tree worked on is a separate offence
£50,000+
Recent real finessome prosecutions have topped £75,000

This isn’t theoretical. One council recently secured a £50,000 fine — its largest ever — against someone who felled protected trees, with prosecution costs adding thousands more on top. Set against that, a free two-minute check is cheap insurance.

When you do and don’t need consent
Reading a result

Check whether a tree may be protected

A Tree Preservation Order is made by a Local Planning Authority to protect a tree, a group of trees or a woodland. Where one applies, you need written consent before pruning, felling, topping, lopping or uprooting.

Carrying out that work without consent can be a criminal offence, whoever owns the land.

Trees in a conservation area can be protected even where no individual TPO is shown. That is why a blank result is not the same as a clear one — the national dataset is incomplete and varies between councils, so your Local Planning Authority must confirm the final status of any individual tree before work begins.

500 m250 m100 mTPO zoneYOUR POSTCODE
Results are reported by distance, not as a yes or no. Anything inside the closest band is worth treating as relevant to your property.
Coverage

What the checker looks for

The postcode search is free and needs no account. A paid property report adds the wider planning constraints around an address.

Free search

No account
  • Tree Preservation OrdersPublished TPO zones from the national planning.data.gov.uk dataset, plotted on the map with their distance from your postcode.

In the report

Optional
  • Conservation areasDesignations near the address. These can restrict tree work even where no individual TPO exists.
  • Article 4 directionsDirections removing permitted development rights, which can affect what you may do without consent.
  • Nearby listed buildingsListed buildings within 150 m, since works close to one can carry their own planning constraints.
Before any work starts

What to do before carrying out tree work

Five steps, in order. The check is the quick part — the confirmation is what protects you.

  1. Search the postcode

    We geocode it with Postcodes.io, then query the national dataset for Tree Preservation Order zones near that point.

  2. Read the distance

    Check how close each record sits. A zone covering a neighbouring plot can still include trees on a shared boundary.

  3. Identify the council

    Tree protection is administered by the Local Planning Authority — usually the district or borough council for the address.

  4. Confirm in writing

    Ask the council to confirm the status of the specific tree. This is the only answer that carries legal weight.

  5. Apply or give notice

    Apply for consent for work on a TPO tree, or give six weeks' written notice for a tree in a conservation area.

Working through an application? How to apply for TPO works consent.

Common questions

Questions people ask before tree work

How do I find out if a tree has a TPO?

Enter the postcode above to see whether published TPO records sit near the property, then confirm the specific tree with the Local Planning Authority — councils hold the definitive register. Our guide to Tree Preservation Orders explains what the order actually covers.

Can I check a TPO using a postcode?

Yes. A postcode locates the property to within a few metres, which is enough to show which protected-tree zones are nearby. For a specific tree in a large garden or on a boundary, give the council the full address and describe the tree’s position.

Can I prune a protected tree?

Not without consent. A TPO restricts cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting and wilful damage — pruning and pollarding are included. See pruning a protected tree and pollarding a TPO tree.

Does being in a conservation area protect trees?

Broadly yes. Most trees above a certain size in a conservation area are protected, and you generally must give the council six weeks’ written notice before carrying out work — even with no TPO in place. Compare TPOs and conservation areas.

Is this an official council TPO search?

No. This is a free search of national public data published to planning.data.gov.uk. It is not a council search and carries no legal standing. Only your Local Planning Authority can confirm whether a particular tree is protected.

What should I do if no TPO appears on the map?

Treat it as inconclusive rather than a clear result. Council coverage of the national dataset is uneven, and many orders exist only in a council’s own records. Check whether the property sits in a conservation area, then confirm with the council before any work — see can I cut down a tree in my garden?
Data source

Where this data comes from

Searches run against Tree Preservation Order records published to the national planning.data.gov.uk dataset. Council participation in that dataset is uneven, so an absent record is not evidence that a tree is unprotected.

More about TPOs and this checker

Check a postcode

Free, no account, results in seconds.

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